The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-03-02
A DYING MANS DELUSION.
STRANGE STORY WHICH IS TOLD OF
COLONEL JAMEs q. RIoN.
sIc Believed that lie Was Descended
fro,n fl.a Kings Of France.

Gre,i. fi.2 X s:nGs OF France.
Ne1cs and Courier.
| He was a descendant of the Kings Of
| France!
Col. James II. Rion died at his home in
WinnSboro, =. g., on sunday, the twelfth cay
! of December last. He was lO"cd and respect
cl wherever he was known. An upright
man. an acute cOun>clcr, q profound lawyer,
a faithful citizen. superb soldier and fin
isI,rl scholar. his loss was deeply deplored
! He was all this. and If the story, whlch is
now told for the first time, be true, he was
much more for in his rci ms ran the 6lood ol
EourhnnS, and the modest country lawyer
was none other than the grandson OF Louis
XVI and Marie Antioncttc, King and queen
of France.
J day told n reporter for the NclrS and Courier
!. strange stoiy of Col. Rion's life; He said:
| "Thrre has always been, as perhaps you are
aware II mystery surrounding Col. RlonS
LirIh lie was very familiar with John c.
Calhoun during his early life, who took
great interest in his welfare AMI was very
kind to him and his mother. They came
! from Canada to Washington about The Time
when Mr.. Calhoun was Secretary Of state un-
| der President Tyler. There have been many
sprculations in regard to Col. RtonS origin
and familyand many rumors. anu there was was
| the subject. 1t was difficult to account Tor
the great interest Mr.. Calhoun seemed TO take
| in him. Col. 1iion himself always manifested
great admiration for Mr.. Calhoun and ever
entertained the deepest reverence for the IT,
| lustrlous statesman both rs public man and
aS Il private citizen. Some have even gone
some so far as to infer from these clrcun-
stances that some peculiar relationship cX-
listed between them. 1t Is said now that Col
! Ision exploded this mystery during inc lew
| brief hours that interviewed between inc iTsI
| paroXysm of the attack which carried him
| off and his drath-hc lived several hours, ms
you will remember, after he was first attacked.
.'rhe story is that Col Rion, then, In the
| presence of Dr. Hanahan. his physician, and
| 81 bi family stated flat lie was the
son of the Dauphin Of Frnncc, who would
have been King Louis XVII had it not been
| for the French Revolution, which by the cX-
ccution Of Louis WI eliminated in the over
throw Of the Bourbon Dynasty. His state
mcnt was that this boy, the Dauphin, who
was reported to have died at an early age,
died. but had been sent over 10 Canada and
| had there been reared in Obscurity under the
name of De Rion; that he entered the Eng
| iSh army and was married to Miss Hunter,
! ana that Col. RiOn was the offspring OF That
marriage. De Rion died in Col. Rions infan-
cy. and he, with his mother, were placed un-
der the charge Of Mr.. Calhoun by the Austrian
ambassador.at Washington, with statement
| of the facts in the case and upon certain con-
ditionS that were to be faithfully observed
one of the conditions was that the lacts
should not he divulged except in certain con.
tingencies, another of the conditions was that
Col. Rion was never to go TO Europe unless In
charge Of the Austrian authorities. and on
board an Austrian man OF war. a furthcr
|
ccpt civil office In this country.
"Thesc conditions were faithfully observed
up to Col Ron's last fatal Illness. He Is not
! known TO have cOnfidcd the story Of his birth
| to any one except his eldest daughter. tle Is
said to have told her the story two or three
years ago. when she was about to sail for Eu-
ropc II was said that one of her purposes IN
going 10 Europe was to Examine in the death
of the Dauphin and to obtain such knowledge
in regard to 1t as was possible from tradition
and otherwise.
| to the subject just before his death he OBJ
served in the countenances of those who
were gathered about him that they supposed
! his mind to he wandering, and that he said to
| them: You think that my mimi Is wander
ing, but am in possession of alt my reason
| ing faculties He then asked Dr. 1fanahan TO
put him TO some test in order to dem onstrate
ihc fact that he was perfectly rational. He
said Capping his brcasO Il have the proofs
here of the truth of what say
| Sol Rion is known TO have been In pos
session of very valuable gold snufi-po SCI
with diamonds, upon the top of which there
| is monogram of the Orleans Family wrought
| III diamonds. The snufEbox, II Is said, had
never been seen by any member of his faIni-
exhibited it once, In 1855, to an intimate,
personal and professional friend. under in
| functions of secrecy, which have been re-
moved by his death. He gave no intimation
| the possession Of this box, except to say that
Mr.. Clemson. the son.in-aw of John Z. Cal
houn. brought it TO him from France, when
| he Mr. CicmScnj was secretary of the Ameri-
can legation in Paris. The snuff box has
| been valued by jcwcllcr, since Col. Rions
| DEATH at 5000, and Is OF most costly and eH-
| quisilc workmanship.
"Col. RlOn went to Canada some years ago
and told n friend when he had returned that
| he had seen in the old Cathedral at Montreal
the record Of his baptism.
at Is understood that Col. RiOn's family
arc now preparing for publication a full state
ment of the facts in the case and that there Is
much evidence 10 sustain the confession
made by him Just before his Geath. Certain
moment the truth of any statement that he
made when clothed in his right mind, for he
was the very soul Of honor
A FULL. STATEMENT FROM COL. RIoN's FAM
lily PROMISED TIE NEWS AND
COURIER.
COLUMBIA, S. C.. February ia represent.
ative of the Columbia Bureau of the Ne'0s
and Courier returned tonight from Winnsbo-
ro, whittier he went yesterday to Sift the SEN
sational reports about Col; Rion's ancestors.
ports, but since they have been made public
property, have properly determined to pre-
pare a correct statement, which has been
promised exclusively to the News and Courier,
and will be published in two or three days.
WHAT COL. RIoN's son SAYS ABOUT THE
FAMILY ROMANCE.
COLUMBIA, s. G., February 2l.-In accord
ancc with Il tclcgraphic request from the
homo Of1ie, / went up to WlnnSboro on FRI
day last to investigate the report concerning
the royal descent of the late James II. Rion.
The rumor which bad spread in Columbia
and Charleston seemed to have reached very
few people i'm WinnSboro. My mission proved
IL delicate one. for 1t became evident to me
that accurate information as to Col. RiOn's
dyir g declaration could only only be obtained
from his family. | visited Mr.. Willie c.
| ition, the eldest son OF COL RlOn, explained
the situation to him and requested the infor-
nation had been commissioned to obtain.
Mr. Rioi I'm the course of q long conversil-
tion expressed his regret that the story had
gained publicity and intimatcd q belief that
his father had becn under the influence of
Opiatcs-givcn to relieve his intense suffering
when he made the declaration. He request
cd that no publication should be made, but
promised that If the story should reach print
he would furnish me with an accurate state
ment of the declaration Of his father and the
circumstances attending 1t. When the after
noon train arrived I was surprised to find
that the account of "an eminent lawyer had
been published. ! Immediately called again
upon Mr.. Rion, and showed him the articles;
and in view OF the fact that the report had
been printed, he promised to send me, rs soon
us possible, Il correct statement In the Netps
ana Courier. Upon my return to Columbia
on Saturday night, I made this announce
ment by wire, and 1t was published In the
Sunday Ne1rs.
THE WHOLE STORY KNOCKED INTO PI.
Last night Sunday n letter from Mr.. Rion
reached me, Of which the following is copy
"AS mentioned yesterday. we did not de.
sire publicity given to my fathers strange
story, and upon second thought, and after
consulting with the family here and some Of